How to Make a Cowboy Smile
by Onyx Lioness
Summary: The newest rancher in Flowerbud Village, Nala, learns that even the most unbelieved thing can happen. Oneshot.


I got this idea randomly from playing Harvest Moon: Magical Melodies. I had given Jamie a medium quality breadfruit, forgetting it was MQ. The next day, I gave him a HQ breadfruit, and just seeing Jamie smile inspired me to write this. I apologize if it isn't very good.

Disclaimer: I own Harvest Moon as much as I like school...and in case you coulnd't tell, that means NO!

* * *

"Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day…rain, rain, go away, come again some other day…"

Ellen looked up from feeding the clucking chickens to see a girl walk into the coop, wearing a dark green shirt and black overalls. Ellen smiled, recognizing her as the new rancher that had arrived in Flowerbud Village not too long ago.

"Good morning, Nala," Ellen said cheerfully, waving her hand in a friendly gesture while still trying to feed the hungry chickens that danced around her feet impatiently.

"If you can call it a 'good' morning, Ellen," Nala returned the greeting, twisting her dirty blonde hair around her finger. She sent a glare outside, where rain fell down from the grey, cloudy sky above. "It's been raining for days…"

"The rain isn't that bad," Ellen giggled. "Besides, I would think you'd like it. You don't have to water your crops."

"Speaking of which," Nala said, rustling around before pulling out a breadfruit from her rucksack. "This is for you."

Ellen caught the breadfruit that Nala tossed to her. She clumsily tried to keep it from falling before finally getting a firm grip on the slightly wet fruit.

"It's only medium quality, but it still tastes good, right?" Nala asked, shrugging her shoulders.

"Thanks, Nala!" Ellen giggled. Breadfruit was one of her favorite foods, something Nala had discovered a few days ago. Since then she tried to bring Ellen some breadfruit every day.

"No problem," Nala said with a grin. "I've got one more, so it's not that big of a deal."

"Besides, one is good enough to beat that Jamie!" she growled, her golden-brown eyes showing a spark of fury.

The two farmers seemed to be rivals the moment they laid eyes upon one another. Perhaps it was because Jamie coldly refused Nala's help to revive the Harvest Goddess and constantly remarked on how the girl would fail, though this fact remained unknown to Ellen.

"Oh, you shouldn't bother with Jamie," Ellen sighed. "He's rather annoying, I'll admit, but you shouldn't let him get to you."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Nala sighed. She smirked and added, "Jamie's probably afraid that MY crops are better than his!"

An expression of realization passed over Nala's face, and Ellen was sure an imaginary light bulb was glowing over her head.

"Hmm…I wonder…" Nala mumbled to herself, pacing back and forth. Her eyes were locked on the ground, as if something hypnotizing lay there. "I've gotta go, Ellen. See ya later!"

Ellen shook her head as she watched Nala race out into the drizzling rain, until her figure was blurred and then disappeared. A small smirk made her way onto her face as the rancher went back to feeding the chickens.

"What is she up to?"

Nala headed towards the beach, walking proudly as she clutched something in her hand. The previous thoughts of the rain had been wiped out from memory, as a new thought preoccupied her mind.

In her hand was the other medium quality breadfruit she had leftover from that day. She had originally planned to ship it for gold, but she walked past the shipping box without a care. She had a new use for it now.

She spotted a familiar, purple-haired cowboy standing on the beach. His icy blue eyes seemed to be set in a permanent glare, his face hardened to show no emotion expect annoyance and anger.

"Jaaaayyymie!" Nala called out, running over to the irked rancher.

"What do you want?" he asked, not turning to face her. His gaze was still set on the sea; he was determined not to face the troublesome girl.

"Here!" Nala shoved the breadfruit into his hands, forcing the rancher to look at her, and then down to the breadfruit he now held.

He lifted it up as if to study it, and even bit off a small part of it. He chewed and then shook his head.

"Humph." He tossed the breadfruit back to Nala. She tried to catch it, but it slipped from her hands and was dropped into the soggy wet sand.

Nala gaped as Jamie walked off with a cold shrug, not bothering to make any other comment or turn back and face her.

"OHHH!" Nala growled, stomping her feet on the ground like an enraged bull. "That self-centered, pig-headed, stubborn, conceited…AGGH!"

* * *

Nala sighed as she walked outside, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She still had trouble waking up so early in the morning. And for some reason, the slowly falling, drizzling rain made her sleepier. 

She stretched before making her way to the crops she was growing. She didn't bring her watering can, which meant she could carry all of the day's breadfruit. She slowly picked them one by one, until she had harvested them all.

She once again found herself walking to Blue Sky Ranch. She put her hand on the wooden post fence and pushed herself over.

Her foot ended up getting caught and she fell onto the ground with a soft thud, her fall somewhat cushioned by the tall grass. Though it didn't help that it stuck to her face, and she ended up getting a mouthful of grass.

She stood up and spat out the grass, sticking out her tongue in distaste. She scraped the remaining grass off of her tongue and shuddered.

"I don't remember getting another cow."

Nala turned to see Ellen stepping out of the chicken coop. She had witnessed Nala's fall and had a hand over her mouth, trying to stifle the eruption of giggles that was dying to burst out.

"Very funny," Nala grumbled, brushing some dirt off of her overalls.

"Here, brought you some more breadfruit," she said, this timing simply handing the breadfruit over to Ellen. "Its high quality, too, so it's much better tasting!"

Ellen beamed in delight at the breadfruit she now held in her hands. Though she liked medium quality breadfruit, she loved high quality breadfruit. She giggled like a school girl as she said her thanks.

"Even Jamie would be jealous of this," Ellen praised Nala for her good work.

"Hmph, and so we come back to the subject of that selfish, uncaring, conceited rancher," Nala grumbled, still cross over his rude actions to her from the previous day.

"I take it you two had another unpleasant run-in?" Ellen asked, shaking her head at the way they behaved towards one another.

"You could say so," Nala grumbled. "Well, I'm heading off now. See you." She waved her hand good-bye before carefully pushing herself over the fence, this time making sure her foot wouldn't get caught.

She made her way back towards her house, taking her time as she did so. Her arms swung at her sides as she gaze around at the small village, before lifting her face up at the sky to stare at the rain clouds. She blinked and rubbed her eye when a rain drop hit her eye, and she turned her gaze downward.

When she finally reached her house she began putting the breadfruit into the shipping box, putting them in carefully so she wouldn't ruin them.

Nala lifted her head up to see the poncho-wearing cowboy, once again standing on the sands of the beach, still staring out at the ocean.

Nala stared at the last breadfruit in her hand, and then back to Jamie. She narrowed her eyes and began marching over to where Jamie stood.

"Here!" she grunted, shoving the breadfruit once again into Jamie's arms. The startled Jamie nearly dropped the breadfruit, a confused look on his face as he stared at it.

He seemed to recognize the breadfruit as high quality, and he lifted his head to look at Nala, a stern look on her face.

"What, are you flattering me?"

Nala's hard and stern gaze melted away, and turned into a shocked and startled one as she stared at Jamie in surprise.

It seemed like a miracle, even if it had been just a smirk, for Jamie had smiled.


End file.
